British Tamils in Southend-on-Sea and Liverpool held memorial events yesterday to mark 17 years since the Mullivaikkal Tamil genocide and remembered the tens of thousands of their friends and family massacred by the Sri Lankan state in May 2009.
In Southend-on-Sea, hundreds gathered at Shoebury East Beach for the third consecutive year, with organisers noting that attendance had continued to grow annually as families travelled from across Essex and surrounding areas to take part in the remembrance event.
The beach, usually filled with the sounds of weekend gatherings and seaside activity, became a space of solemn reflection as participants laid floral tributes, listened to memorial speeches and watched performances of songs and poems by children. The evening concluded with the release of hundreds of biodegradable floating lanterns into the sea in memory of those killed at Mullivaikkal.
Meanwhile in Liverpool, a separate commemoration organised for Crosby Beach was forced indoors due to heavy rain and strong winds, with organisers relocating the event to Bootle at short notice. Despite the weather conditions, Tamils from across Merseyside gathered to pay tribute to those who perished during the final stages of the armed conflict.
Candles were lit and tributes offered as attendees reflected on the ongoing struggle for justice and accountability. Speakers stressed that remembrance of the genocide remained inseparable from the Tamil nation’s continuing demand for self-determination and an internationally-backed accountability mechanism for atrocities committed by the Sri Lankan state.
At both events, Mullivaikkal kanji was served to attendees and members of the public. The rice porridge became a symbol of survival during the final months of the genocide, when Tamil civilians trapped within Sri Lanka’s so-called ‘No Fire Zones’ survived on little more than rice and water amid relentless bombardment.
The commemorations formed part of wider events held across the Tamil homeland and diaspora, in the lead up to Tamil Genocide Day being marked worldwide today.
Shoebury East Beach, Southend-on Sea
Bootle, Liverpool
